chapter 14 Black Fish King

Meanwhile, Zhang Jian battled the creature in the river as giant beads of sweat dropped from his face when an alluring voice came out of nowhere;

"Would you like some help?"

The stunned Zhang Jian was speechless. He had reached his limit physically and any careless movement was sure to send him into the river. But Lin Xi thought her allure was lost on him because of how he had ignored her.

"Is it even possible for a powerful person at The Ascension Stage to get into a predicament like this?"

She contemplated the truth about who he claimed to be, so she resolved to observe for the time being. Whatever the case, she would definitely be screwed if he turned out to be who she suspected him to be.

Zhang Jian found himself in a fix; it had been an hour already since he began his dance with the mysterious fish. Its endurance was not ordinary.

"It appears that I am just capable of releasing skills."

A short while ago, it wouldn't take more than a few minutes.

Zhang Jian couldn't see it but he felt its irregular motions from the vibrations on the fishing rod.

A moment later, the fishing line jerked and Zhang Jian forcefully pulled hard it but not with his full strength. The mysterious fish tugged hard and this time, Zhang Jian loosed his grip. Soon it began to show signs of giving up and he prevailed. After his victory, he finally faced his guest;

"There's more! Come let's team up and finish this."

Lin Xi mocked him in her mind;

"He really does seem like a regular dude."

The Qi in her body became distorted as soon as she made contact with the fishing rod. Immediately, she slipped and dove right at Zhang Jian whose face had turned deathly pale. At the last minute, she negotiated a curve and managed to brush past him.

Zhang Jian watched her and assumed she genuinely wanted to help but it was just that she was very clumsy. At the beginning he was in front of her, but now, he found himself behind her cradling her waist. Lin Xi was acutely aware but she still couldn't let go of the fishing rod as it was actively draining every ounce of Qi in her.

"Damn it! How did I get into this?!"

Zhang Jian spoke in a nervous tone;

"Relax kind stranger, plant your feet firmly and pull hard!"

She drank his words and pulled. It turned out she did enjoy fishing after all.

"Ah, it is just a desperate attempt to escape death."

Lin Xi suspected its time was almost up as it was weakening by the second and Zhang Jian confirmed her suspicions when his order came to her to pull harder;

"Don't stop! Almost there!"

Together they hauled a big black fish out of the river. It was at least a foot long with shiny black scales. Lin Xi was stunned to see that it was Black Fish King- her old nemesis! She collapsed.

Black Fish King was a magnificent evil spirit who she hadn't been able to defeat for decades now. Zhang Jian didn't miss the fear in her eyes and wondered as he glanced at his catch;

"Are all the fish in this river like this?"

Lin Xi was dumfounded. "So Black Fish King was his prey all along?"

The notorious Black Fish King who had been a menace throughout his lifetime died as soon as Zhang Jian caught him. His very essence was obliterated just as he was reeled out of the river by Zhang Jian's fishing rod. The succuba was completely overwhelmed by Zhang Jian's power. Lin Xi was shaken but fine nonetheless.

"Fishing for Black Fish King like he is an ordinary fish? An evil being at the Ascension Stage? The iron-solid soul? He is the peak of the Ascension Stage for heaven's sake!"

Zhang Jian still didn't understand why she had been so frightened by an ordinary fish. He let her be for some time while he took stock of his catch that day. The fish he had caught were fresh, delicious, and wild, but they were all far from good looking. He picked up one that seemed like the king of the river and examined it;

"Well, that's enough for today."

Lin Xi assumed the whole thing had been a hallucination. It was unlikely that a devil fish at the Ascension Stage could be in river such as this. She glanced at Zhang Jian who was getting ready to go and scanned him for any Qi whatsoever. There wasn't!

Zhang Jian was not aware of the threat she posed, he simply stuffed his catch in his basket.

Lin Xi soon realized that appearing here was a foolish mistake and waited for an opening to strike. She began to accumulate Qi in her hand, and as she prepared to smite Zhang Jian from behind, a loud voice called out;

"STOP!"

Lin Xi heard it but continued anyway. She was a being who was at The Synthesis Stage, and yet, suddenly, she was rendered static by a mysterious spell. A powerful surge of Qi permeated her being sending tingling sensations all over her as an indescribable oppressive force towered over her.

Sensing something, Zhang Jian turned around and asked her flatly;

"What brings you here?"

As he spoke, Lin Xi regained control and her Qi was restored in one swift rush. Breathing hard, she took off without looking back. Stunned, Zhang Jian simply packed his stuff and headed home.

On her way, Lin Xi chanced on a dog prattling by. Cerberus trotted past Lin Xi and shot her a chilling look that left Lin Xi feeling like she had been dipped in an ice lake.

"A dog at The Ascension Stage? How?"

Trembling all over, she fought the instinct to run back and stilled the raging fear in her. The dog walked over to Zhang Jian's side and tugged playfully at his trousers. For some strange reason, it was fixated on the contents in the basket.

Zhang Jian caught his drift and reprimanded him;

"Don't be silly Cerberus! You are not allowed to eat this." Cerberus was disappointed and sulked heavily. He assumed he would also partake of the delicious feast of fish that Zhang Jian and Wang Yan usually partook off. The dog felt left out, for in his mind, he felt the fish that both Zhang Jian and Wang Yan normally ate were just regular fish that gave nutrients to the body and replenished depleted Qi. He didn't realize that they could only devour only a specific type of flesh- those that are completely devoid of a consciousness. Basically, any fish with a soul could not be eaten. But of course, Cerberus' only thoughts at the time was just how good the fish would taste raw. That was just how he liked it.

Despite the blazing sun, Lin Xi was still shivering at the presence of the dog at The Ascension Stage, talk less of its master. It took a while before she finally got herself, and even then, Cerberus' threatening eyes kept her from trying anything. The oppressive atmosphere moved her to tears and she pleaded with them to let her go.

As, Zhang Jian scrubbed up, he noticed that Lin Xi was uncomfortable and thought to himself;

"Why do the females of this time always have cramps?"

He shook off that thought and focused instead on the strange woman who had appeared out of nowhere. His eyes glossed over her as he observed the mysterious lady. The stranger was very pleasant to look upon. She had very clear skin and her thick figure augmented her already alluring face. His eyes roved over every inch of her. This would normally be flattering for her, but on this particular occasion, his lingering look made Lin Xi nervous. She had done a good job of shielding her Qi but the way he looked at her made her feel he could see through her. Like he could see her for the true succuba that she was along with everything she had done as well as her secrets.

His question came suddenly, and pulled her out of her daydream;

"Are you experiencing cramps?"

Thinking he was testing her, she replied cautiously;

"Not really, no. I'm fine."